“In 2017, the first improved Project 955-A submarine and the Yasen-M will be floated out,” he said.

The Russian Navy expects to receive these submarines “within the time limits stipulated by the contract,” the vice-admiral added.

The Prince Vladimir was laid down in 2012 and will become the fourth submarine in the series of eight Borey-class underwater cruisers and the first submarine of the improved Borey-A Project. The Severodvinsk Shipyard in north Russia has laid down the eighth Borey-class submarine Prince Pozharsky on Friday.

Three submarines of this class have already been delivered to the Navy. In 2014, two submarines, the Prince Oleg and the Generalissimus Suvorov, were laid down. In 2015, the submarine Emperor Alexander III was laid down. Each such submarine carries 16 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The Kazan was laid down in 2009. It is being built under the improved Project 885-M Yasen-M. It will be the second representative of the Yasen project: the first submarine Severodvinsk was delivered to the Navy in 2014. Overall, seven submarines of this class are intended to be built.

A source in the Russian defense sector told TASS earlier, that the Prince Vladimir and the Kazan would enter into service in 2018, a year later than it was planned. It was earlier expected that both submarines would be delivered to the Navy in 2017.

The series of the Project 955A Borey-A nuclear submarines will be completed with the construction of the eighth submarine Prince Pozharsky, the vice-admiral said.

The development of the fifth-generation nuclear-powered submarines is already underway in Russia, Head of the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering Igor Vilnit said.

The Rubin Design Bureau is the developer of Project 955 Borey-class submarines.

As the head of the Rubin Design Bureau said, the fifth-generation submarines will differ from the fourth generation by their armaments.

The Russian Navy currently operates three Borey-class submarines: the Yuri Dolgoruky is operational in the Northern Fleet while the Vladimir Monomakh and the Alexander Nevsky are part of the Pacific Fleet.